The Cowgirl Whey

 Happy Holidays!

Sometimes big things come in little packages. Missi is one such package! She is a two year first freshening Nigerian Dwarf. This little goat takes her job as a milker seriously. Always in the first group of goats to be milked, Missi jumps on the stand and doesn't move a muscle until she is finished. She has earned her milk star, is close to making the ADGA Youth Honor Roll, and is out milking several big goats right now. Her butterfat is super high too.

 For a small family or homesteading couple wanting goat milk, a ND like Missi may be a good choice. In our experience, they are very hardy, easy keepers, and their small size makes them easy to handle and require less acreage/ living space. The negatives; we find they aren't as personable as Nubians and can be harder to dam raise, as they are naturally a bit more wild than the big girls.

Missi, staying warm in her jammies on a cold winter day!

Missi and CK showing at a goat show.

The days get shorter and the goats milk less- fall is here! While there is less milk, cheese yields are way up. How can this be? The secret lies in the butterfat. :)

When our goats freshen they generally milk around a gallon a day. We participate in program called DHIA. It helps us track how much each of our dairy goats milk and analyzes the different components of her milk.

Let's look at Louise's, the "herd queen", numbers. She is a 4 year old Nubian who has freshened (kidded, or had babies) 3 times.

The first month she was "fresh" (the term used for milking) she milked 11 pounds each day (1 gallon is about 8 pounds). The butterfat made up 3.1% of her milk.

After milking for 6 months, she is now milking 4 pounds each day- but her butterfat makes up 5.9% of the milk.

For us,the cheese yield per gallon of milk increases by about 30% in the fall, which helps offset the drop production.

Louise, the "Herd Queen" and her human, Mackenzie.